PM Trudeau to name new Supreme Court judge to replace retiring McLachlin

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is poised to appoint a new judge to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The new addition is expected to be named Wednesday morning, ensuring that the nine-member bench remains at full strength after Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin retires on Dec. 15.

Insiders say the announcement will not include naming a new chief justice.

Trudeau has been under pressure to appoint the first Indigenous judge to the country’s top court.

Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould wouldn’t say Tuesday whether that will occur but she noted that the government sought applications from judges in western and northern Canada.

Last year, the Liberal government brought in a new Supreme Court appointment process to encourage more openness, transparency and diversity, which also requires high court justices to be functionally bilingual.